ersons you have
asked to assist you one nut, to a second person two nuts, and to the
third three nuts, which will of course leave eighteen nuts on the plate.
You must mentally name the person to whom you gave one nut "number one,"
to the person holding two nuts "number two," and the one who has three
nuts "number three."

Announce your intention of again leaving the room, and request your
three assistants to help themselves during your absence to nuts as
follows--the one holding the apple to take the same number of nuts you
presented him with, the one who has the egg to twice as many as you gave
him, and the holder of the orange to four times as many as he originally
received.

Impress on them that the number of nuts they take must be _in addition_
to those they already hold.

On returning to the room you glance at the nuts remaining in the plate
and at once call for the egg, apple, and orange from their respective
holders.

EXPLANATION.

You must memorise the following Latin words: Attento, Beato, Cantores,
Erocat, Fortasse, Glossema, numbering them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. The
initials of these words, it will be observed, are the first six letters
of the alphabet, omitting D, which is not required; A, of course,
standing for Apple, E for Egg, and O for Orange.

On returning to the room after your second absence count the number of
nuts remaining on plate, refer to the Latin words, and you have the key.
Supposing there are only two nuts left, take the second word, Beato, and
reject the consonants, when the vowels will remain in proper order, E,
A, O. The E being first shows the egg is in the pocket of the person
whom you have designated as "number one." The A being second indicates
"number two" has the apple, and the O, the third letter, means "number
three" holds the orange.

Supposing there are seven nuts left, take the seventh word, Glossema,
reject the consonants as before, and pick out the vowels, O, E, A, which
proves "number one" person holds the orange, "number two" the egg, and
"number three" the apple, and so on with the other Latin words, the
remaining number of nuts always indicating the word from which you are
to select the vowels. This trick may be repeated _ad lib._ without fear
of detection.

TO REMOVE A SERVIETTE RING FROM A TAPE HELD ON THE THUMBS OF ANOTHER
PERSON

Obtain a piece of tape, or string, about three feet in length and tie
the ends; pass this loop through a serviette ring and t